Apparatus for coating cigars and the like



July 17, 1956 P. KRUCKEN APPARATUS FOR comm; CIGARS AND THE LIKE Filed April 30. 1955 to the wrapper United States Patent APPARATUS FOR COATING CIGARS AND THE LIKE Peter Kriicken, Marbach Uber Erbach, Odenwald, Germany Application April 30, 1956, Serial No. 352,236 Claims priority, application Germany November 28, 1952 8 Claims. (Cl. 118-104) This invention relates to tobacco products, and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for improving the appearance of tobacco products such as cigars or the like and their ashes by applying a liquid coating of such cigars or the like without a previous glutinous treatment and by foregoing the application of a dry powder. The adhesive strength of a suitable adhesive solution obtained by adding glutinous means directly to the treating solution employed. 7

Improving the appearance of tobacco products such as cigars or the like by customarily treating them with tobacco powder is a method old in the prior art. Such treatment, however, gives rise to unavoidable dust. Even if the tobacco powder, in combination with abrasives and dull-making granules adheres better to the uneven spots of the wrapper, this unevenness being caused by the abrasive, the tobacco powder coating being merely dust adheres but loosely to the wrapper. The process of applying said tobacco powder coating to the wrapper is unhygienic, it also dirties the operators.

It is further known to treat tobacco products with liquid means for having them burn well and for producing white ashes in order to obtain uniformity and a white color of the ashes. For this reason the tobacco is steeped in water to which has beenadded white-ashes-producing means. This steeping procedure which lasts about twenty-four hours impairs the flavor of tobacco.

In order to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages and maintain the flavor and fragrance of the tobacco product, it is one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a sufficient method for improving the appearance of tobacco products such as cigars or the like and their ashes which comprises applying to the tobacco products such as cigars or the like, the wrappers of which are customarily spotted, an aqueous solution, viz., a mixture containing means for having the cigar burn cool and sweet and producing white ashes, said mixture consisting preferably of a magnesium solution and absolutely pure tobacco powder having no health-impairing substances so as to form a liquid adhesive. Thus the condition as a preliminary to a proposed uniform and white ash formation and quick absorption of moisture during treatment, is fully met.

Another object of the invention is to treat the tobacco product at the same time or subsequently with a solution containing means for having the cigar burn well and producing white ashes, tobacco powder, and a neutral adhesive in very small quantities such as an approximately S-percen-t solution of gum tragacanth and, after completion of such a treatment to subject the tobacco product to the action of one roll or a train of rolls, the component parts of which coming into contact with the watery solution for treating the tobacco may, with the exception of their peripheral cushions, consist of a hard material such as stoneware.

Another object of the invention is to provide cigar finishing machines for carrying out the above-mentioned method, which machines are similar to the known masequently is transmitted to the conveyed to said roll.

chines for dull-finishing cigars by means of dry dust, and which comprise rollers being provided with peripheral cushions of, e. g., sponge rubber and which are also provided with cigar-feeding tracks.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description set out below when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, of an apparatus for treating cigars, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention.

In the embodiment illustrated by Fig. 1 a frame 14 comprises a power driven shaft 15 rotating a drum 17 which consists of a hollow perforated cylinder 16 with face plates and which is peripherally cushioned with a resilient covering 19 of, e. g., sponge rubber. Adjacent the lower half of and concentrically disposed to the drum 17 is a sponge rubber cushioned steel track 18. Close to the entrance of a travelling band conveyor 20 are located a power driven drum 22 and a roll 23, of which drum 22 is perforated and provided with a pcripheral cushion 24. Drum 22 is furnished with a locka'ble opening for filling it with liquid adhesive which subsponge rubber peripheral cushion 24 by means of said perforations. Roll 23 takes the adhesive given off from the circumferential cushion 24 of drum 22 and at the same time receives the tobacco product, e. g., cigars with a spotted wrapper, by way of the continuously travelling band conveyor 20. Drum 22 is provided with liquid adhesive material from trough 25 by means of rolls 26, 27 resulting in good impregnation of cushion 24 of drum 22 and further transmission of the adhesive to roll 23, whereupon it is applied to the cigars The cigars, thereupon, are transported over steel track 18 and enter the space between rubber cushion 19 and steel track 18. During this rolling operation the perforations in cushion 19 and cylinder '16 get filled, during which action, however, there is no hardening of the'adhesive particles, due to a suitable formation and dimensioning of the distances of perforations and because the outside pressure causes these adhesive particles to continually drop into the hollow cylinder. A stripper roll 28 serves for continuously cleaning of rubber cushion 19. It is possible during operation that drum 22 may be made inoperative for a short time in order to finish the cigars without help from this drum 22 because cylinder 16 is sufiiciently impregnated with adhesive. After operation, the cigars leave track 18 and are delivered by a conveyor band 21. The now drying coating of the cigars is such that it is uniform throughout, thin as a film, and so adherent tha it cannot be stripped off.

The porosity of covering 19 and the size and number of the perforations in the cylinder 16 and drum 22 are determined by the viscosity of the adhesive to be employed and by the thickness of the coating required in the various cases.

In Fig. 2, another embodiment of the present invention is shown wherein a trough 31 contains liquid adhesive. A power driven feed roll 32, part of which is immersed in the liquid adhesive transmits same by way of a roll '33 to a sponge rubber cushion 36 of a drum 34 and which is in contact with a stripper roll 35. Drum 3 4 has a perforated surface of stoneware and may be filled with liquid adhesive which automatically impregnates cushion 36. This cushion 36 is further impregnated with liquid adhesive from trough 31 by means of rolls 32, 33 which can be adjusted to low, medium, and large supplies, respectively. Ordinarily, however, drum 34 is not filled with adhesive, it rather serves as a guiding drum for a train of sponge rubber-covered rolls 38, 39, 40, and 41. Among these rolls, roll 40 is driven by a belt 42 and a motor 50. Beneath these rolls there is provided a wave-like sponge rubber cushioned track 43, at the ends of which are an entrance 44 and an exit 45 for the tobacco products carried by means of a continuously travelling band conveyor. For reasons of cleaning, roll 40 is in contact with a stripper roll 49. Above roll 41 there is provided a container 46 for a rubber element squeegee 47 extending through a slot 48 at the bottom of said container, thereby contacting the peripheral cushion of roll 41 and keeping it continuously clean. Container 46 can at the same time be filled with white-ash producing means so that at the end of the equalization procedure executed by rolls 38, 39, 40, and 41 this treatment is also included. This embodiment makes it possible to tfill adhesive means for equalizing purposes into the drum 34, in addition to the supply from roll 32. By this means cushion 36 on roll 34 is especially well impregnated.

While the forms of the apparatus constitute preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. Apparatus for coating wrapped cigars for the purpose set forth, comprising a frame, a drum rotatably supported in the frame and whose peripheral wall is provided with perforations, a cylindrical resilient covering surrounding said drum and being provided with perforations, means supported by the frame for supplying liquid coating to said covering and said drum, a roll rotatably supported in said frame in peripheral contact with said drum covering, a cigar supporting track in said frame disposed beneath said roll for passage of successive wrapped cigars therebetween, and conveyor means for delivering the wrapped cigars to said track and for con veying same therefrom.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, together with other rolls rotatably supported in said frame and cooperating with said track for passage of the wrapped cigars therebetween.

3. Apparatus for coating wrapped cigars comprising a frame, a drum rotatably supported in the frame and whose peripheral wall is provided with perforations, a

perforated cylindrical covering surrounding said drum, means supported by the frame for supplying liquid coating to said drum, a cylinder rotatably supported in said frame, a roll rotatably supported in said frame in peripheral contact with said drum, a track disposed beneath said cylinder and said roll for passage of successive wrapped cigars therebetween, and conveyor means for delivered wrapped cigars to and conveying same from said track.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said cylinder is provided with perforations in the cylindrical wall thereof, and a perforated cylindrical cushion member surrounding the said peripheral wall.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said track is provided with cushioning means and a stripper roll rotatably supported in said frame in peripheral contact with said cylinder.

6. Apparatus for coating wrapped cigars, comprising a frame, a drum rotatably supported in the frame, means supported by the frame for supplying liquid coating to the drum, a plurality of driven rolls rotatably supported in the frame beneath said drum with one roll thereof in peripheral contact with the drum, and a track disposed beneath said rolls for passage of wrapped cigars between same.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said drum is provided with perforations in the peripheral wall thereof, and a perforated cylindrical cushion member surrounding the drum.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said track includes portions conforming to the peripheral contour of said rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,522 Hadra Feb. 8, 1881 239,780 Hill Apr. 5, 1881 249,029 Du Brul Nov. 1, 1881 255,921 Bowman Apr. 4, 1882 256,065 Spindler Apr. 4, 1882 286,412 French Oct. 9, 1883 1,339,374 Buensod May 4, 1920 1,339,375 Buensod May 4, 1920 

